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Patent 2926717 Summary

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Claims and Abstract availability

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 2926717
(54) English Title: SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR MANAGING CONTACTLESS TRANSACTIONS
(54) French Title: SYSTEMES, PROCEDES ET PRODUITS DE PROGRAMMES INFORMATIQUES POUR GERER DES TRANSACTIONS SANS CONTACT
Status: Granted
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • G06Q 20/32 (2012.01)
  • G06Q 20/34 (2012.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • HOPKINSON, EMMA K. (United States of America)
(73) Owners :
  • GOOGLE LLC (United States of America)
(71) Applicants :
  • GOOGLE INC. (United States of America)
(74) Agent: GOWLING WLG (CANADA) LLP
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued: 2018-01-16
(86) PCT Filing Date: 2014-10-07
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 2015-04-16
Examination requested: 2016-04-06
Availability of licence: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/US2014/059436
(87) International Publication Number: WO2015/054207
(85) National Entry: 2016-04-06

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
61/889,244 United States of America 2013-10-10

Abstracts

English Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for managing contactless transactions. A tap notification including at least a first identifier is received. A first counter in a first data set associated with the first identifier is incremented. It is determined if the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds. If it is determined that the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds, a first status level in the first data set is updated. A first set of benefits from a plurality of benefits stored in a memory based on the first status level is identified. The first set of benefits is associated with the first identifier.


French Abstract

L'invention concerne des systèmes, des procédés et des produits de programmes informatiques destinés à gérer des transactions sans contact. Une notification de tapotement comprenant au moins un premier identifiant est reçue. Un premier compteur dans un premier jeu de données associé au premier identifiant est incrémenté. Une détermination est effectuée, selon laquelle le premier compteur coïncide ou non avec un seuil parmi une pluralité de seuils. S'il est déterminé que le premier compteur coïncide avec un seuil parmi la pluralité de seuils, un premier niveau d'état dans le premier jeu de données est actualisé. Un premier ensemble d'avantages parmi une pluralité d'avantages mémorisés dans une mémoire d'après le premier niveau d'état est identifié. Le premier ensemble d'avantages est associé au premier identifiant.

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


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WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A system for managing contactless transactions, the system comprising:
at least one memory operable to store a plurality of benefits and a plurality
of data sets associated with a corresponding identifier, each data set
including at
least a counter and a status level;
a processor coupled to the at least one memory, the processor being
operable to:
receive a tap notification, the tap notification including at least a first
identifier;
increment a first counter in a first data set associated with the first
identifier;
determine if the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;
update a first status level in the first data set, if it is determined that
the first
counter matches one of the plurality of thresholds;
identify a first set of benefits from the plurality of benefits based on the
first status level; and
associate the first set of benefits with the first identifier.
2. The system of claim 1, the processor being operable to transmit at least
a
portion of the first set of benefits to a mobile device,
wherein the mobile device is associated with the first identifier.
3. The system of claim 1, the processor being operable to transmit the
first
status level to a mobile device,
wherein the mobile device is associated with the first identifier.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tap notification is received from one
of
a mobile device or a merchant system.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of benefits
includes
corresponding award data, the award data including at least an award ID.

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6. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of benefits
includes at
least one triggering status level.
7. A method for managing contactless transactions, the method comprising
steps of:
receiving a tap notification, the tap notification including at least a first
identifier;
incrementing a first counter in a first data set associated with the first
identifier;
determining if the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;
updating a first status level in the first data set, if it is determined that
the
first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;
identifying a first set of benefits from a plurality of benefits stored in a
memory based on the first status level; and
associating the first set of benefits with the first identifier.
8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of
transmitting
at least a portion of the first set of benefits to a mobile device,
wherein the mobile device is associated with the first identifier.
9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of
transmitting
the first status level to a mobile device,
wherein the mobile device is associated with the first identifier.
10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the tap notification is
received
from one of a mobile device or a merchant system.
11. The method according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of
benefits
includes corresponding award data, the award data including at least an award
ID.
12. The method according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of
benefits
includes at least one triggering status level.

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13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon
sequences of instructions which when executed by a computer system cause the
computer system to:
receive a tap notification, the tap notification including at least a first
identifier;
increment a first counter in a first data set associated with the first
identifier;
determine if the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;
update a first status level in the first data set, if it is determined that
the first
counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;
identify a first set of benefits from a plurality of benefits stored in a
memory based on the first status level; and
associate the first set of benefits with the first identifier.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, having stored
thereon sequences of instructions which when executed by a computer system
cause the computer system to:
transmit at least a portion of the first set of benefits to a mobile device,
wherein the mobile device is associated with the first identifier.
15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, having stored
thereon sequences of instructions which when executed by a computer system
cause the computer system to:
transmit the first status level to a mobile device,
wherein the mobile device is associated with the first identifier.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the
tap
notification is received from one of a mobile device or a merchant system.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein each
of the plurality of benefits includes corresponding award data, the award data

including at least an award ID.

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18. The non-transitory
computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein each
of the plurality of benefits includes at least one triggering status level.

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


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SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR
MANAGING CONTACTLESS TRANSACTIONS
BACKGROUND
Field
[0001] The present invention generally relates to systems, methods, and
computer program products for managing contactless transactions.
Related Art
[0002] Wireless technologies such as near field communications (NFC)
standards are increasingly being used to exchange data between devices when
placed within a predetermined distance from each other. One use of such
technologies is for making contactless transactions including for payments,
offers, ticketing, and the like. For example, an NEC-enabled mobile device can

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include or store information such as payment credentials, commerce benefits
(e.g., offers, coupons, loyalty awards, vouchers, rewards, discounts,
promotions),
and tickets (e.g., train tickets, movie tickets), which are issued by
corresponding
service providers (e.g., credit card company, merchant, transit authority).
Such
information can be managed by one or more applets and/or applications (e.g.,
mobile wallet application) deployed on the mobile device.
[0003] The mobile device can, in turn, use the NFC technology to communicate
with other NFC-enabled devices such as reader terminals on point-of-sale (PoS)

or admissions systems. For example, to redeem an offer and/or make a payment,
a mobile device is placed (e.g., by its user) within approximately ten
centimeters
(or another predetermined and technologically feasible distance) of the reader

terminal. Upon being placed within the predetermined distance, the mobile
device and reader terminal become communicatively coupled and exchange a
number of communications and information to process the requested contactless
transaction. Placing the mobile device within a predetermined proximity to the

reader terminal so that they can be communicatively coupled is often referred
to
as performing a "tap" or "wave". Performing a "tap" or "wave" is described in
more detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2013/0317924 Al
and US 2013/0317927 Al.
[0004] Mobile wallet applications on mobile devices are used to centrally
manage contactless transactions from a mobile device. For example, mobile
wallet applications can manage other applets (e.g., payment applets, security
applets) and data (e.g., payment credentials, offers, loyalty rewards) that
are used
during contactless transactions. That is, mobile wallet applications can
control
when a certain applet is to be used and when certain credentials or data are
communicated with other devices (e.g., reader terminals).
[0005] Typically, data such as benefits (e.g., coupons, loyalty rewards,
promotions, discounts, certificates, gifts) that are stored on mobile devices
for use
by mobile wallet applications are openly available to mobile wallet
applications
and their users. For example, an offer issued by a merchant can be obtained
and
used by any mobile wallet application.

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[0006] Given the foregoing, it would be beneficial to distinguish between
mobile
wallet applications and distribute offers to certain mobile wallet
applications
based on predetermined criteria. Further, it would be beneficial to assign and

manage a status for applications based on the frequency of use of those
applications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
[0007] The example embodiments presented herein meet the above-identified
needs by providing systems, methods, and computer program products for
managing contactless transactions.
[0008] In one example embodiment, a system for managing contactless
transactions comprises at least one memory and a processor. The memory is
operable to store a plurality of benefits and a plurality of data sets
associated with
a corresponding identifier. Each data set includes at least a counter and a
status
level. The processor is coupled to the at least one memory. A tap notification

including at least a first identifier is received. A first counter in a first
data set
associated with the first identifier is incremented. It is determined if the
first
counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds. A first status level in the
first
data set is incremented, if it is determined that the first counter matches
one of
the plurality of thresholds. A first set of benefits from the plurality of
benefits
based on the first status level is identified. The first set of benefits is
associated
with the first identifier.
[0009] In another example embodiment, a method for managing contactless
transactions comprises steps of: receiving a tap notification, the tap
notification
including at least a first identifier; incrementing a first counter in a first
data set
associated with the first identifier; determining if the first counter matches
one of
a plurality of thresholds; updating a first status level in the first data
set, if it is
determined that the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;
identifying a first set of benefits from a plurality of benefits stored in a
memory
based on the first status level; and associating the first set of benefits
with the first
identifier.

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[0010] In yet another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable
medium has stored thereon sequences of instructions which when executed by a
computer system cause the computer system to: receive a tap notification, the
tap
notification including at least a first identifier; increment a first counter
in a first
data set associated with the first identifier; determine if the first counter
matches
one of a plurality of thresholds; update a first status level in the first
data set, if it
is determined that the first counter matches one of a plurality of thresholds;

identify a first set of benefits from a plurality of benefits stored in a
memory
based on the first status level; and associate the first set of benefits with
the first
identifier.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The features and advantages of the example embodiments presented
herein will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below

when taken in conjunction with the following drawings.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system for managing contactless transactions,
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process for managing contactless
transactions, according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a system including an interface for providing
membership level information, according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary system useful for
implementing the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
I. Overview
[0016] The example embodiments presented herein are directed to systems,
methods, and computer program products for managing contactless transactions,
which are described herein in terms providing offers based on numbers of
contactless transactions performed. This description is not intended to limit
the
application of the example embodiments presented herein. In fact, after
reading

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the following description, it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant
art(s)
how to implement the following example embodiments in alternative
embodiments in which other types of data (e.g., loyalty rewards, spending
points,
admissions tickets, transportation tickets, gaming lives) are assigned and/or
provided based on other criteria (e.g., spend, duration of visit).
[0017] The terms "tap," "tap event" and/or the plural form of these terms are
used interchangeably herein to refer to the act of placing an NEC-enabled
device
(e.g., mobile device) within a predetermined proximity of another NEC-enabled
device (e.g., terminal reader).
[0018] The terms "benefit," "commerce benefit," and/or the plural form of
these
terms are used interchangeably herein to refer to a benefit that may be
stored,
used and/or applied by a mobile wallet application during a contactless
transaction, including offers, loyalty awards, discounts, promotions,
certificates
gifts, multipliers, and the like.
II. System
[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system 100 for managing contactless
transactions, according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FTG. 1,
system 100 includes a reader terminal 110, mobile devices 120-1, 120-2, ...,
120-n (collectively "120" or "mobile device(s) 120"), a mobile commerce
(MoCom) platform 130, and merchant system 140-1, 140-2, ..., 140-n
(collectively "140" or "merchant systems 140").
[0020] Mobile devices 120 may be, for example, a cellular phone, tablet or the

like. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, each mobile device 120 includes a
processor, memory, a contactless frontend (CLF), a baseband modem, and a user
interface such as a display screen. A baseband modem is a digital modem that
is
used for mobile network communications. A CLF is circuitry which handles the
analog aspect of contactless or NFC communications and the communication
protocol layers of a contactless transmission link. A CLF also is used to
exchange data between reader 110 and other storage devices in and/or
associated
with mobile devices. For example, a CLF may be used to communicate with a
secure element (e.g., subscriber identity module (SIM) card) on a mobile
device.
A secure element may be implemented as a Universal Integrated Circuit Card

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(UICC), embedded SE card, secure micro secure digital (microSD) card, and the
like. A secure element may also be implemented as a virtual system such as a
cloud-based architecture or host card emulation (HCE).
[0021] Mobile devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-n include or have stored in their

memory, mobile wallet applications 120a-1, 120a-2, ..., 120a-n, respectively,
(collectively "120a" or "mobile wallet applications 120a"), which include
instructions that when executed by the processor of the corresponding mobile
device 120, cause the mobile device to act as an instrument, for example, for
processing contactless transactions.
[0022] Contactless transactions may be performed between mobile devices 120
and reader terminal 110, using wireless communications technologies such as
NFC. The reader terminal 110 is an NFC-enabled system located, for example, at

a point of sale (PoS) terminal and which is used to process a contactless
transaction. In one exemplary embodiment, the reader terminal 110 receives a
contactless transaction request when a mobile device (e.g., mobile device 120-
1)
is tapped, waved or placed within a predetermined proximity of the reader
terminal 110. The reader terminal 110, in turn, exchanges data over one or
more
communications with the mobile device 120-1 to complete the contactless
transaction. In one exemplary embodiment, during a contactless transaction, a
mobile device initiates a tap event and, in turn, transmits offer data to the
reader
terminal 110 to be applied to the transaction. That is, if the offer data
includes a
discount, that discount is applied to the balance and the transaction is
finalized
with a modified (e.g., reduced) balance.
[0023] Although only one reader terminal (reader terminal 110) is shown, it
should be understood that system 100 may comprise any number of reader
terminals.
[0024] Commerce benefits (e.g., offers) used during a contactless transaction
may be managed by the MoCom platform 130. In one example embodiment, The
MoCom platform 130 may include one or more servers, which in turn may
include one or more databases (e.g., offer database), for storing offers or
offer
data, and is configured to manage (e.g., transmit, receive, request, process)
offers
and their related data. In one exemplary embodiment, the MoCom platform 130

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may store and manage mobile commerce data (e.g., offer data, loyalty data,
rewards data), merchant data (e.g., information related to merchants
associated
with commerce data), and rules and/or means for processing redeemed offers,
distributing offers to mobile wallet applications, and the like. Examples of
data
that may be stored by the MoCom platform 130 are described below in further
detail with reference to FIG. 2.
100251 The MoCom platform 130 may be a standalone platform, or may be part
of a mobile wallet system and/or architecture. The mobile wallet system and/or

architecture may include other systems such as a trusted service manager (TSM)

and an enterprise service bus (ESB). An ESB and TSM are systems that provide
interfaces and/or communications means between multiple systems. For
example, an ESB can be used by a MoCom platform 130 to communicate with
mobile wallet applications 120a on mobile devices 120. In one exemplary
embodiment, the MoCom platform 130 may transmit an offer and/or offer data to
a mobile wallet application 120a-1.
[00261 The MoCom platform 130 is communicatively coupled to merchant
systems 140 over a communications network 150. A merchant system is a
system, platform, computer architecture or the like, managed by a merchant
(e.g.,
business, retailer). The merchant system may include a customer relationship
marketing (CRM) system, which is used to analyze, manage and distribute
offers.
In one exemplary embodiment, a merchant system creates an offer and transmits
that offer to the MoCom platform 130 to be certified, configured, stored
and/or
distributed to mobile wallet applications 120a. The creation and management of

offers is described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication
Nos.
US 2014/0032312 and US 2014/0074616.
ITT. Process
[0027] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process 200 for managing
contactless
transactions, according to an exemplary embodiment. In particular, managing
contactless transactions includes assigning status levels and providing offers
to
mobile wallet applications based on a number of taps performed by each mobile
wallet application.

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[0028] At block 250, a MoCom platform (e.g., FIG. 1, MoCom platform 130)
receives a tap notification from a mobile device (e.g., FIG. 1, mobile device
120-1). The tap notification indicates that a contactless transaction has been

initiated, processed and/or completed by a mobile wallet application (e.g.,
FIG. 1,
mobile wallet application 120a-1), for example, at a reader terminal (e.g.,
FIG. 1,
reader terminal 110). The tap notification includes information identifying
the
mobile device and/or mobile wallet application used to perform the tap. Such
identifying information may be, for example, an application identifier (ID)
(e.g.,
mobile wallet ID) corresponding to the mobile wallet application, or other
information used to identify the mobile device (e.g., mobile device ID) on
which
the mobile wallet application is stored. A mobile device ID may be an
international mobile equipment identity (IMEI), a mobile equipment identifier
(MEID), a Media Access Control (MAC) address, or a similar unique serial
number associated with hardware of a mobile device. The tap notification may
include other information identifying, for example, a location, reader
terminal,
merchant, and time where the tap occurred.
[0029] It should be understood that the tap notification received by the MoCom

platform at block 250 may alternatively and/or additionally be received from a

merchant system (e.g., merchant system 140-1) or the reader terminal.
[0030] In turn, at block 252, the MoCom platform uses the information included

in the tap notification to identify a set (or sets) of data (e.g., offer data)
associated
with the mobile wallet applications. In one exemplary embodiment, the MoCom
platform queries one or more of its databases to locate a counter of a data
set
associated with the mobile wallet ID included in the tap notification. At
block
254, the MoCom platform increments the counter when the tap notification is
received from a mobile wallet application or mobile device. When other tap
notifications are received from a mobile wallet application or mobile device
the
MoCom platform similarly increments the counter.
[0031] In one exemplary embodiment, a value n of a counter associated with the
mobile wallet application x is incremented by one, as shown in the following
formula:

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counter(x) = ++n
[0032] At block 256, the MoCom platform determines whether the incremented
counter has reached a predetermined threshold. A threshold may be a
predetermined value corresponding to a status level or membership level. Table

1 below illustrates a threshold table in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment:
Table 1
Threshold Ref. No. Threshold Value Status Level Membership
Level
1 100 1 Gold
2 1,000 2 Silver
3 10,000 3 Platinum
[0033] As shown in Table 1, a threshold is a numeric value identifying the
number of taps needed to reach a status level or membership level. For
example,
when a mobile wallet application is used to perform 1000 taps (e.g.,
counter(x)
== 1000), the status level and membership level of a mobile wallet application

are modified accordingly. Table 2 below illustrates a mobile wallet
application
record which may be stored by the MoCom platform to track and manage, among
other things, the status and membership levels of a mobile wallet application,
in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment:
Table 2
Application ID Status Level Membership Level
001 1 Gold
002 1 Gold
003 2 Silver
[0034] As shown in Table 2, the mobile wallet application with application ID
"001" has been used to perform at least 100 taps (but less than 1000) and has
been assigned a status level "1" and "gold" membership level. Although not

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illustrated in Table 2, a mobile wallet record may also include information
such
as a mobile device ID (e.g., IMEI, MEID, MAC Address) or any other
information that may be used to identify the mobile device associated with the

application ID, as well as a date and time when a status level and/or
membership
level is reached.
[0035] To determine, at block 256, whether a mobile wallet application has
reached a threshold, the MoCom platform compares the counter of the mobile
wallet application to the threshold values in the threshold table. In one
exemplary embodiment, determining whether a mobile wallet application has
reached (e.g., matches) a threshold is performed in accordance with the
following
process described below using pseudocode:
while y < thresholdMAX
if counter(x)== threshold(y)
statuslevel(x)= y
else
++.v
[0036] As illustrated above, y represents the reference number of a threshold;

thresholdMAX represents the reference number of the last (e.g., highest)
threshold
in a list of predetermined thresholds (e.g., 3 in Table 1); counter represents
the
counter value of a mobile wallet application; x represents the application ID
corresponding to a mobile wallet application; and statuslevel represents the
value
of the status level associated with a mobile wallet application.
[0037] If the MoCom platform determines, at block 256, that the counter of the

mobile wallet application has not reached a threshold, the process ends (block

258) and the status level and membership levels of the mobile wallet
application
are not modified. On the other hand, if the MoCom platform determines, at
block
256, that the counter of the mobile wallet application has reached a threshold

(e.g., the threshold value equals the counter value), the MoCom platform
identifies, at block 260, benefits (e.g., offers) associated with the
threshold level
reached.

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[0038] That is, at block 260, the MoCom platform uses the threshold reference
number and/or status level to identify benefits that are associated with the
threshold reached. This may be accomplished by performing a query in an offer
database to identify offers having a threshold reference number or status
level
equal to the threshold reference number or status level, respectively, of the
mobile wallet application having reached a threshold. In one exemplary
embodiment, if a mobile wallet application reaches the first threshold shown
in
Table 1, the MoCom platform, at block 260, identifies offers in the offers
database that (1) have a threshold reference number equal to "1", or (2) have
a
status level equal to "1".
[0039] If the MoCom platform identifies, at block 260, any offers in the offer

database that are associated with the threshold reached by the mobile wallet
application, the MoCom platform associates the mobile wallet application with
those offers. In one exemplary embodiment, the set of offers identified at
block
260 may be flagged using the application identifier of the mobile wallet
application or a mobile device identifier of the mobile device on which the
mobile wallet application is stored.
[0040] At block 264, the mobile wallet application may transmit the offers
associated with the mobile wallet application at block 262, to the mobile
device
on which the mobile wallet application is stored. The offers may be
transmitted
to and stored on (e.g. pushed) the mobile device at a time determined by the
MoCom platform. Alternatively, the offers may be transmitted to the mobile
device upon receipt of a request front the mobile wallet application (e.g.,
pulled).
Data may be transmitted to the mobile device over a communications network
either directly, or via a supplementary system (e.g., ESB).
[0041] Transmitting an offer includes sending at least a portion of offer data

associated with an offer. Table 3 below illustrates data stored in association
with
an offer (e.g., data that makes up an offer), in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment:
Table 3
Element Description

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OFFER ID Unique identifier associated with an offer,
assigned by a MoCom
Unique identifier associated with an offer,
EXT OFFER ID assigned by a merchant or merchant system
associated with the offer
OFFER_NAME Label or caption associated with an offer
TITLE Title associated with an offer
SHORT_DESCRIPTION Brief description of an offer and its terms
LONG DESCRIPTION Detailed description of an offer and its
terms
SMALL IMAGE URI Unique identifier associated with an small-
size image corresponding to an offer
LARGEJMAGE_URI
Unique identifier associated with a large-
size image corresponding to an offer
BARCODE JD Identifier associated with a barcode (or QR
code) corresponding to an offer
UPCCODE Type of barcode
TERMS AND CONDITIONS Terms and conditions associated with an
offer
Indicator of whether an offer is in a state in
IS REDEEMABLE which it can be used/redeemed in a
transaction
STATUS State of an offer (e.g., ready for review,
live, expired)
USER ID Unique identifier associated with a user of
a mobile device
CREATE_TSTMP Date and time a record is created
UPDATE_TSTMP Date and time a record is created
Value of one or more membership levels of
THRESHOLD REF ID a mobile wallet application at which an
offer may be obtained and/or redeemed
Value of one or more status levels of a
STATUS_LEVEL mobile wallet application at which an offer
may be obtained and/or redeemed
[0042] The threshold reference number (e.g. THRESHOLD_REF_ID) and status
level (e.g., STATUS_LEVEL) associated with an offer may be assigned either by
the merchant or merchant system that created the offer, or by the MoCom
platform during the lifecycle of the offer, which is managed by the MoCom
platform. That is, offers that are stored on the MoCom platform and ready to
be
deployed to mobile devices may be modified so as to assign and/or edit their
respective information, including threshold reference number and status level.
In
one exemplary embodiment, an offer may have multiple threshold reference

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numbers and status levels, so that the offer may be assigned and transmitted
to a
mobile wallet application when the mobile wallet application reaches one of
multiple thresholds.
[0043] In turn, the mobile device receives and stores the received offers
(e.g.,
offer data) and makes those offers available for use in a contactless
transaction.
[0044] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a mobile device 300 including an interface for
providing membership level information, according to an exemplary
embodiment. The mobile device 300 (e.g., FIG. 1, mobile device 120) may be a
cellular phone, tablet and/or the like. Mobile devices are described above in
detail with reference to FIG. 1. The mobile device 300 includes a processor
and
memory. A mobile wallet application may be installed on the memory of the
mobile device 300, and can be used to manage the membership program and
information related to the membership program. Membership programs are
discussed above in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.
[0045] The mobile device 300 also includes an interface (e.g., user interface)

301, which may be used to display (e.g., output) and/or receive (e.g., input)
information. In one example embodiment, the interface displays a card 302
(e.g.,
membership program card) corresponding to a membership program. The
displayed card 302 may be in the shape of a credit, debit, loyalty card and/or
the
like. The displayed card 302 may include the name of the membership program
(e.g., Tap Card), name of the user associated with the membership program
and/or mobile wallet application (e.g., John Smith), and the membership level
of
the mobile wallet application in the membership program (e.g., Gold Member).
The card 302 is displayed in accordance with membership program information
received and stored by the mobile device.
[0046] The mobile device 300 receives membership program information from a
system such as a MoCom platform (e.g., FIG. 1, MoCom platform 130). The
membership program information includes an application identifier
corresponding to the mobile wallet stored on the mobile device. The membership

program information also includes the membership level to be associated with
the
mobile wallet application. As discussed in more detail above with reference to

FIG. 2, the membership level corresponds to a status level and/or threshold
level

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assigned by reaching predefined criteria (e.g., number of taps). In one
example
embodiment, the membership program information is transmitted by the MoCom
platform to the mobile device when the mobile wallet application reaches a
threshold.
[0047] The mobile device 300 receives the membership program information
from the MoCom platform and compares it to previously stored membership
program information associated with the mobile wallet application. If indeed
there is a change and/or update, the mobile wallet application updates the
membership program information and displays the card 302 accordingly. That is,

if the membership level of the membership program information is updated from
"Gold" to "Silver," various elements of the card 302 may be displayed
differently
in accordance with the change. For example, the shape, image and/or text of
the
card 302 may be modified to show a silver-colored card that reads "Silver
Member," in the event that the mobile wallet application reaches that
threshold.
[0048] In one example embodiment, performing an action on the card 302 (e.g.,
tapping the card 302 via the user interface 301) causes the card to flip and
display
membership program information, status level, date reached, counter value,
difference between counter value and the next threshold to be reached, and/or
similar information.
Example Computer-Readable Implementation
[0049] The example embodiments described above such as, for example, the
systems and procedures depicted in or discussed in connection with FIGS. 1-3
or
any part or function thereof, may be implemented by using hardware, software
or
a combination of the two. The implementation may be in one or more computers
or other processing systems. While manipulations performed by these example
embodiments may have been referred to in terms commonly associated with
mental operations performed by a human operator, no human operator is needed
to perform any of the operations described herein. In other words, the
operations
may be completely implemented with machine operations. Useful machines for
performing the operation of the example embodiments presented herein include
general purpose digital computers or similar devices.

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[0050] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a general and/or special purpose computer
400, in accordance with some of the example embodiments of the invention. The
computer 400 may be, for example, a user device, a user computer, a client
computer and/or a server computer, among other things.
[0051] The computer 400 may include without limitation a processor device 430,

a main memory 435, and an interconnect bus 437. The processor device 430 may
include without limitation a single microprocessor, or may include a plurality
of
microprocessors for configuring the computer 400 as a multi-processor system.
The main memory 435 stores, among other things, instructions and/or data for
execution by the processor device 430. The main memory 435 may include
banks of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), as well as cache memory.
[0052] The computer 400 may further include a mass storage device 440,
peripheral device(s) 442, portable storage medium device(s) 446, input control

device(s) 444, a graphics subsystem 448, and/or an output display 449. For
explanatory purposes, all components in the computer 400 are shown in FIG. 4
as
being coupled via the bus 437. However, the computer 400 is not so limited.
Devices of the computer 400 may be coupled via one or more data transport
means. For example, the processor device 430 and/or the main memory 435 may
be coupled via a local microprocessor bus. The mass storage device, 440,
peripheral device(s) 442, portable storage medium device(s) 446, and/or
graphics
subsystem 448 may be coupled via one or more input/output (I/O) buses. The
mass storage device 440 may be a nonvolatile storage device for storing data
and/or instructions for use by the processor device 430. The mass storage
device
440 may be implemented, for example, with a magnetic disk drive or an optical
disk drive. In a software embodiment, the mass storage device 440 is
configured
for loading contents of the mass storage device 440 into the main memory 435.
[0053] The portable storage medium device 446 operates in conjunction with a
nonvolatile portable storage medium, such as, for example, a compact disc read

only memory (CD-ROM), to input and output data and code to and from the
computer 400. In some embodiments, the software for storing an internal
identifier in metadata may be stored on a portable storage medium, and may be
inputted into the computer 400 via the portable storage medium device 446. The

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peripheral device(s) 442 may include any type of computer support device, such

as, for example, an input/output (I/O) interface configured to add additional
functionality to the computer 400. For example, the peripheral device(s) 442
may include a network interface card for interfacing the computer 400 with a
network 439.
[0054] The input control device(s) 444 provide a portion of the user interface
for
a user of the computer 400. The input control device(s) 444 may include a
keypad and/or a cursor control device. The keypad may be configured for
inputting alphanumeric characters and/or other key information. The cursor
control device may include, for example, a mouse, a trackball, a stylus,
and/or
cursor direction keys. In order to display textual and graphical information,
the
computer 400 may include the graphics subsystem 448 and the output display
449. The output display 449 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT) display
and/or a liquid crystal display (LCD). The graphics subsystem 448 receives
textual and graphical information, and processes the information for output to
the
output display 449.
[0055] Each component of the computer 400 may represent a broad category of a
computer component of a general and/or special purpose computer. Components
of the computer 400 are not limited to the specific implementations provided
here.
[0056] Portions of the example embodiments of the invention may be
conveniently implemented by using a conventional general purpose computer, a
specialized digital computer and/or a microprocessor programmed according to
the teachings of the present disclosure, as is apparent to those skilled in
the
computer art. Appropriate software coding may readily be prepared by skilled
programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure.
[0057] Some embodiments may also be implemented by the preparation of
application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or
by
interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits.
[0058] Some embodiments include a computer program product. The computer
program product may be a storage medium or media having instructions stored
thereon or therein which can be used to control, or cause, a computer to
perform

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any of the procedures of the example embodiments of the invention. The storage

medium may include without limitation a floppy disk, a mini disk, an optical
disc, a Blu-ray Disc, a DVD, a CD-ROM, a micro-drive, a magneto-optical disk,
a ROM, a RAM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a DRAM, a VRAM, a flash memory,
a flash card, a magnetic card, an optical card, nanosystems, a molecular
memory
integrated circuit, a RAID, remote data storage/archive/warehousing, and/or
any
other type of device suitable for storing instructions and/or data.
[0059] Stored on any one of the computer readable medium or media, some
implementations include software for controlling both the hardware of the
general and/or special computer or microprocessor, and for enabling the
computer or microprocessor to interact with a human user or other mechanism
utilizing the results of the example embodiments of the invention. Such
software
may include without limitation device drivers, operating systems, and user
applications. Ultimately, such computer readable media further include
software
for performing example aspects of the invention, as described above.
[0060] Included in the programming and/or software of the general and/or
special purpose computer or microprocessor are software modules for
implementing the procedures described above.
[0061] While various example embodiments of the invention have been
described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way
of
example, and not limitation. It is apparent to persons skilled in the relevant
art(s)
that various changes in form and detail can be made therein. Thus, the
invention
should not be limited by any of the above-described example embodiments, but
should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their
equivalents.
[0062] In addition, it should be understood that the figures are presented for

example purposes only. The architecture of the example embodiments presented
herein is sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be utilized
and
navigated in ways other than that shown in the accompanying figures. Further,
the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
and
the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and
practitioners in
the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to

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determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the
technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is not intended to be
limiting as to the scope of the example embodiments presented herein in any
way. It is also to be understood that the procedures recited in the claims
need not
be performed in the order presented.

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

For a clearer understanding of the status of the application/patent presented on this page, the site Disclaimer , as well as the definitions for Patent , Administrative Status , Maintenance Fee  and Payment History  should be consulted.

Administrative Status

Title Date
Forecasted Issue Date 2018-01-16
(86) PCT Filing Date 2014-10-07
(87) PCT Publication Date 2015-04-16
(85) National Entry 2016-04-06
Examination Requested 2016-04-06
(45) Issued 2018-01-16

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Maintenance Fee

Last Payment of $210.51 was received on 2023-09-29


 Upcoming maintenance fee amounts

Description Date Amount
Next Payment if standard fee 2024-10-07 $347.00
Next Payment if small entity fee 2024-10-07 $125.00

Note : If the full payment has not been received on or before the date indicated, a further fee may be required which may be one of the following

  • the reinstatement fee;
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Patent fees are adjusted on the 1st of January every year. The amounts above are the current amounts if received by December 31 of the current year.
Please refer to the CIPO Patent Fees web page to see all current fee amounts.

Payment History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Amount Paid Paid Date
Request for Examination $800.00 2016-04-06
Application Fee $400.00 2016-04-06
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 2 2016-10-07 $100.00 2016-09-26
Maintenance Fee - Application - New Act 3 2017-10-10 $100.00 2017-09-19
Final Fee $300.00 2017-11-30
Registration of a document - section 124 $100.00 2018-01-19
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 4 2018-10-09 $100.00 2018-10-01
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 5 2019-10-07 $400.00 2019-10-18
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 6 2020-10-07 $200.00 2020-10-02
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 7 2021-10-07 $204.00 2021-10-01
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 8 2022-10-07 $203.59 2022-09-30
Maintenance Fee - Patent - New Act 9 2023-10-10 $210.51 2023-09-29
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
GOOGLE LLC
Past Owners on Record
GOOGLE INC.
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Abstract 2016-04-06 1 59
Claims 2016-04-06 4 108
Drawings 2016-04-06 4 40
Description 2016-04-06 18 781
Representative Drawing 2016-04-06 1 11
Cover Page 2016-04-20 2 42
Description 2017-04-25 18 724
Final Fee 2017-11-30 2 47
Representative Drawing 2017-12-22 1 6
Cover Page 2017-12-22 1 40
Examiner Requisition 2017-01-31 3 168
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) 2016-04-06 2 80
International Search Report 2016-04-06 2 88
National Entry Request 2016-04-06 4 106
Amendment 2017-04-25 4 147